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WASHINGTON, D.C. — There is hardly a military mission that
doesn't incorporate cyber capabilities, and that is both a great
strength of the U.S. military and a possible weakness, Air Force
Brig. Gen. Charles L. Moore Jr. told the House Armed Services
Committee June 22, 2016.
Moore, the Joint Staff's deputy
director of global operations, said the inherent global nature of
cyberspace operations and threats creates numerous challenges for
the Defense Department.
American warfighting capabilities
“are increasingly reliant on the cyber domain, and it is integral to
the advantages we enjoy in everything from our high-tech weaponry
and communications systems, to our ability to rapidly deploy forces
around the globe,” the general said.
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Participants at Cyber Guard 2016 work through a June 16, 2016, training scenario during the nine-day exercise in Suffolk, Va. Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles Moore, the Joint Staff's deputy director of global operations, told Congress June 22, 2016 that Cyber Guard and exercises like it test the abilities of Cyber Mission Force teams to defend Defense Department networks.
(DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jesse A. Hyatt)
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And Moore's Law -- no relation to the general -- predicts
the increasing pace of change in the field will continue, and that,
too, causes challenges for DoD, the general said.
“Trying to
keep up with the rate at which technology is advancing in this
rapidly changing environment is extremely challenging,” he said. “It
is important to note that while our adversaries and potential
adversaries continue to increase their capabilities, they also share
these challenges.”
However, DoD is making progress, including
in building the Cyber Mission Force, challenging an adversary's
ability to operate freely in cyberspace and continuing to more
effectively defend networks, information and weapon systems from
malicious actors, Moore said.
Cyber Mission Force teams
support combatant command requirements to defend the nation against
cyberattack and to protect Defense Department information networks,
the general said.
“While significant progress in all these
areas has been made in the last year, significant challenges do
remain, to include equipping the force, establishing a persistent
training environment that is responsive to the many layers of
required training, recruiting and retaining a professional force and
finalizing the command-and-control structure for the Cyber Mission
Force,” he told the committee.
Fighting ISIL in Cyberspace
Moore discussed U.S. Cyber Command's continuing effort against
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. “In this area, Cybercom
has not only challenged ISIL, as the president and the secretary of
defense have publicly stated, but they have also built on our
lessons-learned to date, establishing a solid foundation on which to
expand the scale and effectiveness of our operations,” he said.
The cyber domain is attractive to potential adversaries because
the cost of entry is low, Moore said. Many believe the United States
cannot identify where an attack originates from. They see the domain
as their asymmetric advantage,” the general said.
“Because of
these threats from both state and non-state actors, we work
vigorously to harden our networks and weapon systems while educating
the Total Force to create a climate of constant vigilance,” he said.
There cannot be a weak link in the national defense, the general
said. DoD engages and works with private-sector companies, other
federal agencies, state and local governments and with foreign
partners to strengthen network defense, said Moore, noting there is
tremendous interest in expanding those cyber relationships.
Cyber warriors are also needed tactically, he said. “As our
capabilities continue to grow, we continually engage all of the
combatant commands to ensure cyber-enabled effects are being
considered for incorporation in their planning processes and to
benefit all current and future operations,” the general said.
While Cybercom battles ISIL, Moore said, “We also recognize that
there are other threats in cyberspace that must be planned for and
addressed. The Joint Staff, he said, is working closely with
Cybercom to ... “continue to bring cyber related options to the table
for consideration to support all of our global operations.”
By Jim Garamone
DOD News
Copyright 2016
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